Machine for inserting and coiling the wire in binder ring formation



May 27, 195% A. F. BROOK MACHINE FOR INSERTING AND COILING THE WIRE IN BINDER RING FORMATION Filed Nov. 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZNVENTOR. flaw/w? 15k ATTORNEY May 27, 1958 A. F. BROOK 2,836,203

MACHINE FOR INSERTING AND COILING THE WIRE IN BINDER RING FORMATION Filed Nov. 12, 1952 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. wwwr 49 900 A TTORNE Y y 27, 1953 A. F. BROOK 2,836,203

MACHINE FOR INSERTING AND COILING THE WIRE IN BINDER RING FORMATION Filed Nov. 12, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 27, 1958 A. F. BROOK MACHINE FOR INSERTING AND comm; THE WIRE IN BINDER RING FORMATION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 12, 1952 United States Patent MACHENE FOR INSERTING AND COILING THE WEE 1N BHNDER RING FORMATION Arthur F. Brook, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., assignor to Meehan-t) Corporation, ?oughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 12, 1952, Serial No. 319,894

2 Claims. (Cl. 140-71) The invention disclosed herein relates to a special wire ring binding and machine for inserting and coiling the wires through perforations in the book leaves.

Objects of the invention are to provide a light weight, strong wire ring binding and a practical and desirable machine for automatically inserting the ring forming wires in and coiling them through the perforations in the book leaves and covers.

Special objects of the invention are to provide this machine in a form quickly adjustable to the handling of one or more of such ring forming elements, according to the size of the books to be bound.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide the machine in a form readily adaptable to the handling of different size wire, different ring diameters, different ring spacing and the like.

Special objects of the invention also are to provide this machine in a simple form of construction which can be readily loaded with the ring forming elements and which will be capable of operating at high speed to apply and form any desired number of the ring forming elements.

Further important objects of the invention are to provide a machine of the character indicated which can be built and operated at reasonably low cost.

Other desirable objects attained by the invention are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the present illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. l in the drawings is an end view and part vertical section of a machine constructed in accordance with and embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken top plan view of the same with parts removed;

Fig. 3 is a broken enlarged and part sectional plan view of the table portion of the machine showing the bound leaves in position thereon, looking in direction of arrow 3, Fig. 7;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the hairpin shaped binder blanks, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the same formed up into a completed pair of binder rings;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken sectional detail of the feed slide as taken on substantially the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 15; V

. Fig.7 is a broken vertical sectional view through the bed of the machine, showing the stack of hairpin binder Wires with the feed slide at the base of the same and the sections of book leaves supported to be impaled and connected to the coiling of'such wires, this view being taken as on substantially the plane of line 7--7 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 isa broken vertical sectional view as on the plane of line 8-8 of Fig. 7, showing the inverted U-shaped, spring tensioned hold-down engaged over the stack of binder wires;

Fig. 9 is a broken vertical sectional view as on substantially the plane of line 9--9 of Fig. 7, showing the forward portion of the wire stack magazine and guide structure;

Fig. 10 is a broken vertical sectional detail at the wire curling die end of the wire guiding and forming mecha nism, taken on substantially the plane of line 109 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 11 is a further enlarged broken vertical sectional detail of the wire bending and guiding dies shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a broken, further enlarged sectional detail of the feed slide and related wire bending dies shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the wire guiding and coiling dies;

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of one of the binder wir holding magazines;

Fig. 15 is a broken horizontal sectional view of the same taken on substantially the plane of line 1515 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 16 is a broken vertical sectional View through the base portion of one of the wire magazines and parts related thereto;

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatic view showing how the leaves in different portions of a book section may be supported to line the perforations therein centered for passage of the coiling wire ends therethrough.

The machine illustrated operates to pass the ends of the hairpin shaped binder Wires shown at 20 in Fig. 4, through adjacent pairs of openings 21, Fig. 3, in the sheets 22 to be bound and to curl these ends into parallel stranded coils 23 connected by straight spacer bars 24, Fig. 5.

The sheets, as shown in Figs. 7, 11 and 16, which may include the book leaves 22 and the folded book covers 25, are supported in opposing sections against relatively inclined backing or supporting plates 26, 27, with perforations in the two sections alined for passage of the coiling wire ends therethrough.

The leaf supports 26, 27, are shown in the form of flat panels which may he slipped into and out of position in opposing pairs of grooves 28, 29, in the end frame portions 39, Fig. 2, of the machine.

Separator blades 31 are shown in Figs. 3, 7, l1 and 16 for aiding in locating the two book sections in place on the double table formation provided by the panels 26 and 27.

Fig. 3 shows the supporting table formation as having adjustable edge guides 32, 33, for registering the opposing book sections with each other and with the wire feeding and coiling mechanism.

The hairpin wires 20 are stacked one on top of the other in a magazine, in position for the lowermost one to be advanced by a feed slide through guides into engagement with dies shaped to curl and deflect the ends of the wire through an adjoining pair of openings in the leaves.

The parts thus far referred to, the sheet supports, wire magazine and the feeding and coiling mechanism, are all combined in a single unit which can be adjustably and removably mounted in the machine and coupled up with the power section of the machine.

1 In this manner, one or any number of units may be employed, according to the number of binder wires which are to be used in any particular binding operation.

Fig. 3 shows the machine set up for a project requiring three binder wires.

Figs. .2 and 7 show how this may be accomplished by making up the magazine units on bases 34 which can be adjustable connection: of the feed slides with the crank actuated'reciprocating slide actuatingbar 40. V Theshaft is shown in Fig. 1 as driven by belt connections 4T rfIOIl'1ifl motor 47 through the medium of single revolution clutch mechanism 48 controlled by foot pedal 49. V

Thus, with the motor running, the actuation of this foot pedal will effect operation to drive the number. of

binder wires for which the machine has been set up To facilitate handling of the binder wires and locating them in, the magazines, they maybe temporarily secured together in the vertically assembled relation as with plastic adhesive which, under the push of the feed slide, Will release the bottom Wire,.ior by adhesive tape which may be stripped off after a stack of the wires has been placed in themagazine.

Each" magazine is shaped to hold and confine a stack ofthe wires,'with an upright center block 50 to fit within the U portion of the wires, and side walls51 spaced therefrom a distance slightly greater than the wire diameter. I

These side walls are shown in Fig. 7 as open at 52 in their intermediate upper portions to expose midportions of the wires, and-facilitate placing the wires in or removing them from the magazine. V The back' endof. the magazine is shown'as, closed by a. removable cover. 53' slidable in grooves 54, Fig. 15, in the side walls of themgazine, this cover having an angularly projecting handle 55. at the. back by which it may a r be readily slid into and out. of position.

. To hold the, wires firmly in place, flat down on top of the feed slide. 33 when the slide. is forward, Figs. 15 and 1,6, and down on the bottom of the magazine. when the slide is retracted asin Fig.7, a follower is provided having, spaced, thin, fl'at sides 56, Figs. 7 and 8, to slide downv into the side channels 57 over thesuppermost wire of the stack. I r v p r This follower is. shown in Figs. l and 7' as pressed downward by a rod 58 acted on. by a. spring 59. This rod} is indicated as having a detachable engagement at .60 with thehead portion 61of thefollower and as having a handle 62 at the upper end by which it may be lifted andv disengaged from. the follower to permit. removal of with a forward portion spaced in front of the shoulder and. narrower than the pusher portion 38 by an amount slightly-greater than the diameter of the wire, to provide space at 66, Fig. 15, at opposite edges to permit the bottom wire to drop down, as shown in- Figs. 9 and 15, and ride upon; the bottomj'67 of the, magazine; at opposite sidesof the slidegbar63t e I Figs.:7; 8; andfl6 show how the center portion 50 of the magazine; is supported. a distance-above the bottom 67 of'the magazine sufficient to permit the lower wire being, strippedofi the bottom of the stack, and Fig. 15 shows how the shoulder 64 of the feed slide 38 will: ad-

vance the lower wire 'forwardly out of the-front end of] the magazine.

In leaving the magazine thesubstantially parallel wire practical, but the invention permits the use of heavier ends are confined and positively Figs. 7, ll and 16, as having arcuate, upwardly curved die faces 75 to bend and curl the issuing wire ends into the circular and helical ring forming shape shown at 23, Fig. 5.

The outer, shorter guide channels 72 are sufficiently offset from the inner, continuous guide channels 71 to effect the helical coiling indicated.

In the retractive movement the feed slide is withdrawn far-enough for; the shoulder 64 to be clear of'the stack, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7, and for the narrower front section 65 ofthe feed slide to be directly beneaththestack of wires. Accordingly, the stack will drop the distance of one wire each time the slide is withdrawn, so thaton the: forward stroke the lower wire will be picked up by the feed shoulder 64 and be advanced out through the guides and curling dies while the next uppermost Wi're comes to rest in sliding engagement on top; of the wider, back section 38 of the feed slide.

Fig.6 shows how the front, narrower section 65 of the feed slide maybe tapered or thinned down as indicated at 76, to clear the, spacing bar portion 24'of the' pair of rings which have just been coiled, on the retractive or return stroke of the slide.

Fig. 1 shows the machine constructed with the bed.

V on the oppositely inclined supporting panels 26 and 27.

The -U-shaped1 or hairpin formed wires are preferably bent with relatively sharp corners, substantially asiindicated in Fig. 4, so that the ends 20 willicoil in closely set convolutions 23, Fig. 5, directly at the ends of the spacer 7 bars 24- to practically fully occupy'the rectangular holes 21, Fig. 3, in the, leaves, thus, to hold. the leaves against shifting in the bound book, but without interfering with free turning of the leaves.

'The two strand. rings produced by the dies are complete and perfect circles, free from any breaks or variations from the truecircular formation, so that smooth turning of the leaves-is assured. p V

The absence ofconnections between adjoining pairs of rings gives the book greater flexibility and the less wire required, because of this. absence of connection between adjoining pairs of rings, provides savings in weight and costof materials.

i With rings of two; complete turns, as shown, astronger' 7 binding is provided and one which is practically impossi ble to open. Because of this greater strength a lighter.

Weight wire may be employed than might otherwise be wire it required or as may be desired.

Each magazine carries its own feed slide, wire guides and bending dies, constituting a complete unit which may operate alone or be mounted on the bed 35 in side-by-side relation with other units, depending on how many Wires 'areto beusedon aparticular-job.

, The slots-'57 in the bed permit the units to be mounted inthe spaced; relation required to match the curling wire ends with the perforations in thesheets, and the yokes 39'at' the ends of the} sidebars 63 enable the feed slides to be coupled up withthepower mechanism by simply guided by guide blocks 1 I 68, 69, Figs. 13, 14, 15 andv 16, attached to opposite sides of the supporting block 70, these guide blocks having V engaging them over the reciprocating cross rod 40 in all adjusted positions of the units.

The construction disclosed enables operating with small size flexible wire which will readily bend into true circular coils. This is so because the wire is supported and confined in all directions during feeding and coiling.

The side plates 51 of the magazine are solidly secured on the bed of the machine by through screws 77, Figs. 7 and 8, and these side plates, by screws 78 and 79, Figs. 7 and 9, secure and support the intermediate filler block 50 and the front support 70 which carries the separator 31 for the two book sections.

These magazines may be of sufficient horizontal length to accommodate the longest size binder wires expected to be handled in the machine.

When shorter length wires are used, that is, wires which do not extend the full length of the magazine, as indicated at in Fig. 7, a filler may be inserted in the magazine in front of the wires, as shown at 80, and this may be of the same type of construction as the follower 61, having thin side plates 81 secured in spaced relation at the top by screws 82, to a spacer block 83.

This supplemental filler piece 80 may rest on top of the intermediate filler block 50 and thus be located with its lower edges in position to overstand and guide the lowermost U wire advanced by the slide. This prevents buckling of the lower wire in the space between the forward edge of the stack and the front end of the magazine as it is being advanced by the slide.

If full length wires are being used in the magazine the supplemental hold-down or filler piece 80 may be attached to and be made a forward extension part of the follower 61.

For different length wires, followers and supplemental spacers to suit may be used.

While the coiling dies 75 have been shown as arcuate in shape, it is contemplated that they may be simply inclined or otherwise shaped to serve as a proper bending and curling abutment for the wire issuing from the bot tom of the magazine.

The separating of the book leaves into two sections is considered important because it enables the binding in this machine of books of greater thickness than might otherwise be possible.

The separating of the leaves and cover of a book into sections breaks the book down into relatively thin sections which can be easily and accurately pierced by the curling wire ends.

These wire ends travelling in a constant curvilinear path, will extend at different angles of inclination through the book leaves, varying with the thickness of the block of leaves.

In order to locate the leaves with the holes therein centered as nearly as possible to the arcuate travel of the wire ends, the leaves may be supported as indicated in Fig. 17, with the back edges of the same resting on a curved support 8d drawn on a flatter arc than the travel of the wire sufficient to locate the centers of the perforations substantially coincidental with the arcuate movement of the wire.

These two features of splitting the book into sections and then supporting these sections so that the wire will pass through the centers of the perforations, enables binding of books and covers of the maximum number of leaves.

Another feature contributing to these results is the locating of the book sections in closely adjoining relation, as shown in Figs. 7, l1 and 16, with the blades 31 which separate the sections thinned down at the inner edges to permit the sections of leaves to lie closely together.

The bar 63 forming the base or backbone of the feed slide reinforces and strengthens the thin plates 65 and 38 on the forward and rearward portions of the bar,

which plates may have a thickness approximately or even less than the diameter of the wire.

While the back feed plate 38 is shown as wider than the front plate 65, this need not be the case, and the feed shoulder 64 at the forward end of plate 38 need not extend the full transverse width of the magazine as shown in Fig. 15. A practical advantage of having this feed shoulder less than the full transverse dimension of the magazine is that then this shoulder may actually advance beyond the curling dies 73 in the forward stroke of the feed slide to further assure complete coiling of the binder rings. When the feed plate 38 is of less width than the interior of the magazine the bar 63, sliding in the base, serves as the sole guide for keeping this plate properly aligned in the magazine, a feature of special importance considering that in the back stroke the plate 38 may actually be retracted from within the confines of the magazine, as shown at the left in Fig. 7.

The side gages 32 and 33 for the upper and lower or back and front book sections may be shaped as indicated in Fig. 3, the back gage 32 to locate the edges of the back section and to reach down far enough to gage the edges of the front section of leaves, and the front gage 33 arranged to be engaged by and to locate the cover 25. These gages will ordinarily have provision for adjustment of the same for different size leaves and covers.

While the machine disclosed operates on preformed U wires, it is contemplated that the wire may be taken from coils and bent into U form and then be advanced through the guides and coiling dies, all as part of a more or less continuous operation, on the same or closely related machines.

Also, while in the present machine the book sections are placed in the machine and removed as bound books by hand, it is contemplated that belt or other conveyor means may be used to feed the book sections into position and then remove the bound books from the machine.

The invention makes it possible to use a small diameter wire which can be readily bent into true ring formation of two or more strands. This Wire, while flexible, is nonresilient in the sense that if bent it will take a permanent set or deformation.

In shaping the wires to U form, the legs preferably may be bent to slightly divergent instead of the strictly parallel relation shown in Fig. 4. This is so that these legs will engage the side walls of the magazine under slight spring tension so asto be positively positioned and guided by these side Walls and thus be directed accurately to the side gages 68, 69, and the curling dies 75. This initial slight divergency from the parallel may to some extent assist in imparting the desired pitch to the coiling of the two or more loops of the rings. These two closely related loops of small wire form rings similar in character to rings of thin, flat strip stock but stronger in holding efiect and may be much lighter in weight.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for coiling binding wires through perforated sheets, comprising angularly related sheet supports in V-shaped relation for supporting two stacks of perforated sheets in separated, angularly related position and having means for positioning the perforated ends of the two sheet stacks in closely adjoining relation with the centers of the perforations in the two separated stacks aligned in arcs forming one a continuation of the other, and said arcs substantially corresponding in curvature and position to the outline of a complete ring for binding the two stacks together, means for feeding binding wires having straight parallel side portions connected by transverse back portions toward one of said inclined sheet supports and curling dies adjoining said inclined sheet support constructed and arranged to curl the advancing ends of said straight parallel side portions of the wires into circular conformation substantially in line with said arcuate disposition of the perforations in the two stacks of sheets and whereby the curling ends of the wires will '7 advance'fir hrough a. stack of she s; uppqrtedon the nearest incliiied' sheet support and thencontinue throughthickness of the two 'st'acksi 2; A machine for coiling binding wires through perforated sheets, comprisingangularlyrelated sheet supports in 'V-shap'e d relation for supporting two stacks of perforated'sheets' in'separated, an'gularly related position and with the centers of the perforations in the two separated stacks aligned in a'rcsforrning one a continuationof the other, and said arcs substantially corresponding in curvature and position to the outline of a complete ring for binding the two stacks together, means for feeding binding wires having straight parallel side portions connected by transverse back portionstoward oneo'f said inclined sheet supports and curfing dies, adjoining said inclined sheet support constructed and arranged to curl the advancing ends of-said'straight parallel side portions of thevwires into circular conformation substantially in linewith said arcuate disposition of the perforations in the two stacks I of' she'ets and whereby the curling ends of the wires will advance first through a stack of sheets supported on the nearest inclined sheet support and then continue through the second stack of: sheets supported in separated relation n; he t er r lativ l ia li d. sh etsuppo t, said. c r in dies having guides for directing'the ends 'of the wires each nto a second. c n lutio yin a s feithe fi t c nvolution" dtoguide the. ends of' thewiresla seconditim;

througlr'tlre ifirst 'and' second na'entionedsta'cks of sheets, and; said feeding means'having a long feed stroke sufiifcient to advance the coiling wires the two' complete convolutions described: V

A i References Cited in the-file of this 7 patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS 708,636 Hawthorne, 1 Sept. 9, 1,454,811 cillpppel .l' May 8,1923 1,982,230 Parker 1 Nov. 27,1934} 2,130,313 1 938 2,14l,52j3 I V V 1 938 2,177,739, ,1939: 2,188,773 1,1940? 2,25 1

' 2,265,277. 1941 2,273,824 1942- ;2,358,463 Masters Sept. "19, 1944 2,377,340 Grinnell JuneS, 19 45 Blurnensaadt Nov. 13-, 

